Obama claims victory: 'Long campaign now over'

President Barack Obama claimed victory early Wednesday morning by hearkening back to the idealism that swept him to office in 2008 and the organization that repeated the feat in 2012.

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As he did in his most stirring moments on the campaign trail, Obama painted an optimistic future for the nation, seeking to bring together a nation bitterly divided over partisan lines. He invoked politicians from both parties in the Northeast who have worked together to help the region recover from Hurricane Sandy.

“Tonight, in this election, you, the American people, reminded us that while our road has been hard, our journey has been long, we have picked ourselves up,” Obama said to supporters gathered at McCormick Place here. “We have fought our way back. We know in our hearts that the best is yet to come.”

“We will disagree, sometimes fiercely about how to get there. As it has for more than two centuries, progress will come in fits and starts,” Obama said. “But that common bond is where we must begin. Our economy is recovered. A decade of war is ended. A long campaign is now over.”

“Forward,” Obama said, echoing his campaign’s slogan. “That’s where we need to go. We will disagree, sometimes fiercely about how to get there. As it has for two centuries … progress will come in fits and starts. It’s not always a straight line. It’s not always a smooth path.”

After a campaign that did little to articulate a specific second-term agenda, Obama ticked off a handful of ideas for his next four years in the White House. Tackling climate change and immigration reform, freeing the nation from dependence on foreign oil and, in what appeared to be an ad lib, reforming the election system that led to legions of Americans standing in line for hours to vote on Election Day and in the days prior.

“Tonight, more than 200 years after a former colony won the right to determine its own destiny, the task of perfecting our union moves forward,” he opened, invoking his campaign’s slogan. “It moves forward because of you.”

Obama thanked Vice President Joe Biden — “America’s happy warrior,” he called him — and praised GOP nominee Mitt Romney, saying the two bitter rivals would meet “in the weeks ahead” to discuss the nation’s future. He praised the Romney family’s decades of public service.

He called his campaign team “the best ever” and delivered a lengthy tribute to the organizers who formed the backbone of his political operation.

“All of you are family, no matter what you do or what you do from here, you will carry the history of what we did together,” Obama said. “You lifted me up the whole way, and I will always be grateful for everything that you’ve gone and all the incredible work you put in.”

There were references to some of his signature accomplishments of the first term – health care reform, eliminating the military’s Don’t Ask-Don’t Tell policy – and a pledge to do more.

“We can do more,” he said.

Obama’s victory speech came after an election that, for all the talk of a nail-biter , came with little election night drama. One by one, the networks and The Associated Press called the battleground states. All but one was good news for the president.

In order, the AP called Pennsylvania, New Hampshire and Minnesota for the president. North Carolina went for Romney, the Republican’s lone victory so far in a contested state.

Then the big one, Ohio, for Obama. From there the result was academic, but Obama went on to pick up Wisconsin, Iowa, Colorado and Nevada, too.

And then minutes before Romney would appear to deliver a concession speech, Virginia.